A River in the Snow
The Hidden Valley during Blue Hour on a snowy winter morning. This is a scene that has enamored me for many years in all seasons and all times of day. Seeing it...
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The Hidden Valley during Blue Hour on a snowy winter morning. This is a scene that has enamored me for many years in all seasons and all times of day. Seeing it in the snow was a magical (dare I say religious?) experience. Without a doubt my favorite place on Earth. If you were to tell me I couldn't go anywhere else for the rest of my life, I would be very happy.
This trip was taken on the last morning of our 48 hour trip to Switzerland to capture the Lauterbrunnen Valley in the middle of winter. Having not seen much snow for the first 24 hours, we were completely dejected that we had wasted our time, efforts, and energy in going overseas for just that one shot. The morning we took this shot the forecast had shown 30% chance of snow and it was frankly pitch dark when we made our way up the slopes of the Lauterbrunnen Valley. So we had no clue whether we would get the right conditions or not for this image. We stood out in the cold morning for nearly 3 hours, hoping for there to be light in the sky or fog in the valley. Our wait was briefly rewarded with this scene.
Check out my blog for the entire story from that wonderful day!
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This trip was taken on the last morning of our 48 hour trip to Switzerland to capture the Lauterbrunnen Valley in the middle of winter. Having not seen much snow for the first 24 hours, we were completely dejected that we had wasted our time, efforts, and energy in going overseas for just that one shot. The morning we took this shot the forecast had shown 30% chance of snow and it was frankly pitch dark when we made our way up the slopes of the Lauterbrunnen Valley. So we had no clue whether we would get the right conditions or not for this image. We stood out in the cold morning for nearly 3 hours, hoping for there to be light in the sky or fog in the valley. Our wait was briefly rewarded with this scene.
Check out my blog for the entire story from that wonderful day!
Read less
Jan, 2020Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
My cousin and I visited Switzerland for 48 hours just to capture the magical Lauterbrunnen Valley in its winter glory. This was taken the morning after snowfall blanketed the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Believe it or not this was the first snowfall of the new decade in the Alps. We had driven nearly 500km within our first 24 hours looking for snowfall all around Switzerland, but who were we kidding, the best scene and first fresh snowfall we saw had to be at the place which inspired us to pick up our camera in the first place.Time
Now fast forward to a cold and rainy Saturday morning. My phone alarm goes off at 4 am, trying to nudge me awake from the catacombs of my jet lagged mind. I hit the snooze button and tricked my mind into thinking that I’m getting ready within my dream. My mind wasn’t fooled for long because just a few minutes later I heard my cousin’s phone alarm go off. I cursed my “brilliant” idea of keeping the heating turned off the previous night and somehow managed to drag myself through the morning routines (checking camera batteries, backing up SD cards, and charging my phone). We zombie walked ourselves to the car and drove the 15 minutes from our Airbnb in Interlaken to the Lauterbrunnen Valley parking lot in pitch darkness. Along the way, all we could do was wonder whether the snow was actually blanketing the valley or not. We were squinting our eyes trying to get a clear glimpse of the mountains and trees in the distance. The suspense was absolutely killing us. Arriving at the Lauterbrunnen Valley parking lot, we found that the lot was delightedly piled in snow, but also unfortunately full of cars. This parking lot (the one closest to the train station) was absolutely full. Our heart started to beat a million times faster at this point. Did we make a mistake by not taking the train directly from Interlaken? Would we have to drive all the way back empty handed? There were many doubts in our mind at that point, but one thing was for certain: we would miss the first train up to Wengen (from where we would hike to our special vantage point). We helplessly watched as we were guided by people in orange vests further and further down the valley. Before we knew it, we were almost at the end of the Lauterbrunnen Valley (an area known as Stechelberg), where we finally found a parking spot. We hurriedly handed a man 10 CHF for a day parking pass, and raced to catch the already full bus taking us to the train station. I somehow crammed myself into the bus with my inflated photography bag alongside dozens of other passengers with their skis and snow boots in tow. I must have very nearly poked the eyes out of at least 10 other passengers with my tripod sticking out of my bag. We were the last ones on this bus. There was still hope. Lo and behold the bus ride itself took 15 minutes and just as we pulled into the train station, the first train left Lauterbrunnen for Wengen. Sunrise was at 8 am and it was already 6:45 am here, with the next train leaving at 7:20am. We were running out of time. Even if we made it to Wengen in time for sunrise, we would barely have enough time to hike down to our location for that morning. Worse yet, we had no idea how slippery the trail down to the vantage point would be. The 30 minutes or so we spent waiting for that train to leave Lauterbrunnen station were some of the most painful minutes during my life as a photographer. As the light slowly brightened outside, we could clearly begin to see the snow topped roofs and frozen tree branches. Our situation really began to sink in at this point. We had flown over 12 hours and driven over 3 hours (all in a jet lagged state of mind) to this location only to be denied by the mere fact that we didn’t arrive a couple of minutes earlier. Our spirits could not have been lower at this point in the trip, especially because we had not seen any significant snow during our drive through Switzerland on the previous day. We were desperate for this photograph to save our trip. An abrupt screeching sound indicated that the train car was beginning to move, slowly winding its way up the mountain. As I nervously cleared away the foggy train windows, the view unfolded before our eyes. Here lay the Lauterbrunnen Valley shrouded in the cool morning mist and absolutely blanketed in a glistening coat of snow. The train car climbed the mountain faster and more wintry scenes began to unfold before our eyes. Pretty much everything was a photographic composition, waiting to be captured. 20 minutes later, my cousin and I were sprinting off the train, excusing ourselves for bumping into people as we made our way from the train station. We raced down the steep slopes of the valley packed with snow, slipping on our crampons, and marveling at the winter wonderland that lay before us. We scrambled down the slopes, slipping and sliding down the steep ice filled slopes in a rush to get to our beloved photography spot. Even as we arrived and started to get our tripods set up, light was already beginning to hit certain parts of the valley. I grabbed my camera and threw my backpack and gimbal on a nearby slope, where it landed and began to dangerously slide down the hill. Not caring, I set up my tripod, quickly secured my Sony A7R3 on it, and hit the remote shutter immediately thereafter. I don’t think I’ve ever been relieved as much as when I first saw this image clearly appear on my camera’s LCD display. I’m not an emotional guy, but this was perhaps the closest I came to crying. I may have even shed a tear or two (unbeknownst to my cousin). All the anticipation and “hard work” was worth it for that one moment.Lighting
The soft blue hour light with low clouds in the valley is exactly what I wanted for my image of this valley. If too much of the scene lit up, it creates distractions within the frame and takes away from the cold yet calm winter morning atmosphere this scene evokes.Equipment
This was shot on the Sony A7R3 with a Tamron 28-70mm lens on top of a Vanguard 265ab tripod.Inspiration
This is a scene that has enamored me for many years in all seasons and all times of day. When I first sight on it back in 2013, I could not believe that Rivendell actually existed in real life. No wonder it is rumored that Tolkien based Rivendell off of his beautiful hike in this valley back in the early 1900s. Seeing it in the snow was a magical (dare I say religious?) experience. Without a doubt my favorite place on Earth. If you were to tell me I couldn't go anywhere else for the rest of my life, I would be very happy. Capturing the ever changing atmosphere of this valley is really what made me pick up my camera.Editing
I reduced clarity somewhat in the valley to create a slightly more mystic feeling the scene evokes because of the low clouds hanging in the valley. Other than that this scene remains pretty much untouched. The colors are as seen at the time (during blue hour).In my camera bag
I carry my Sony A7R3 alongside my Tamron 28-75mm, 16-35mm F4 Sony-Zeiss Lens, and my Sony 75-300 F4-5.6 lens. The lens I always have attached is now my Tamron 28-75mm because of its dynamic focal length and low light capabilities.Feedback
This scene is one of those that can be magnificent during any time of day. Never have I ever witnessed this valley with horrible light. Sometimes it is important to hone in on a more simple composition here because it can be easy to get overwhelmed by the number of features that make the valley perhaps the most photogenic place on Earth. In my opinion, early spring is the best time to photograph it because the three waterfalls are usually full of life at that time alongside tall mountains with a lot of snow.
